Cost has always been a prohibitive factor when it came to SSDs. Not so much for the geeks, gamers and enthusiasts who jumped on board several years ago, but there has always been a group of PC users who might like to transition from the hard drive to the SSD…but the price has never been quite right. And then there is the issue of system migration which seems to be so difficult… and the software is an additional expense. What if we could change all that? What if we could get you a high performing SSD, with a 1TB capacity point, a 5-year warranty, included migration software and price…under $99. Introducing the Kingston A2000 NVMe SSD.

The Kingston A2000 NVMe SSD is meant for entry-level users, or those wanting to upgrade their ultrabook or notebook, as well as system builders. Kingston’s recommended price point is$39.99 (250 GB), $59.99 (500GB) and $99.99 for the 1TB version we are reviewing today, which means this SSD will end up being the lowest price 1TB SSD on the market soon enough, yet more powerful than competitors such as the Intel 660P. And even better yet… it comes with a 5-year warranty and a free copy of Acronis True Image HD. Quite simply, there isn’t another entry-level SSD available that compares to the A2000 right now. Check Amazon Pricing Now.

The Kingston A2000 is a M.2 (2280) NVME SSD which has a PCIe Gen 3.0 x4 (four lane) interface. It is available in capacities of 250 and 500GB, as well as the 1TB capacity we are reviewing today. Performance is variable, depending on capacity which is 2.2GB/s read and 2GB/s write for the 1TB and 500GB capacities, and 2GB/s read and 1.1GB/s write for the 250GB/s capacity. IOPS are listed as 250/220K (1TB), 180/220K (500GB) and 150/180K (250GB) with lifespan listed at 600TBW (1TB), 350TBW (500GB) and 150TBW (250GB).

The A2000 contains the 4-channel SMI SM2263ENG NVMe controller along with four chips of Micron’s latest 96-layer 3D TLC NAND flash memory and a Kingston buffer.

This SSD is a self-encrypting drive with end-to-end data protection, has AES 256-bit encryption, and supports a full security suite including TCG Opal 2.0. It is also a single sided SSD which uses less power, runs cooler and will fit in even the smallest and most finicky ultrabooks.

10 comments

Les, this is a nice review, and the price is unbelievable! However, could you please continue to include the Real World File Transfer Comparison with your reviews? It may be nitpicking, but I like seeing that included. Thanks for introducing us to this excellent SSD!

From what I can tell the version of Acronis that Kingston gives you for a download is 3 years old, maybe more. I may be wrong, but their download page points to a version that was around in 2016. If that’s the case then you do not get a free copy of software that is worth $59. This drive may still be worth $99, but please try to find out if it does indeed ship with software that retails for $59.

I contacted Kingston and was told the A2000 does not come with Acronis.

Hi Bibbit,

Only drives purchased together with bundle kits receive Acronis download keys. This drive does not come with a bundle kit. You can use the free software download Macrium Reflect. I have provided the link below.

I’ve got Corsair MP510 240GB PCIe x4 NVMe as my primary system drive, time came to expand so I want to buy Kingston 1TB M.2 A2000 NVMe PCIe x4 but in my mobo specification second m.2 slot is x2. What would be smart? Leave it be – using MP510 as system and A2000 at half speed or maybe configure RAID (which one?) I’ll just say I’m a casual user but wolud like to do this as best as I can. (MOBO -Aorus b450 elite). Thanks guys